3

GAMMON

Her face... there was just something about her face that haunted me. The way her eyes welled up with tears, the way she breathed fearfully; those things usually massaged my ego and made me feel better.

But in this case, it pricked my heart. It was as if I was actually hurting myself by hurting her.

"You're a monster!"

Her whispers still echoed in my head. Scowling, I shook my head as if to shake it away.

“Get it together,” I mumbled, focusing on the papers before me. “I'm not just any man; I'm Gammon Blackwell, a billionaire and the CEO of the biggest financial firm in the country.”

That calmed me a bit, but my heart was still drawn to the girl.

“Ah, fuck it!” I pushed the papers away, causing a big mess. The door flew open as one of my security men barged in.

"Mr. Blackwell, is everything all right?" he asked, concerned.

"Pick these papers and arrange them neatly. Follow the paging. I got up from my seat and headed to the door. Once you're done, lock the office and meet me at the security room. I need to make sure my prisoner isn't leaving."

"Yes, sir!"

I left the room and headed straight to the security room where all the CCTV monitors were. I pushed the guard aside and sat there, watching the screen. She was really crawling on her knees and Henry was walking beside her. None of them were saying anything.

"Is the sound activated?" I asked without turning from the monitors.

"Not yet, sir. I can do that right now," he offered.

But I didn't give him the chance; I pushed the button that activated the sound and started hearing her faint, laboured breathing. At first, it made me smile, but as she kept going, I started feeling a familiar ache in my chest.

That ache only came when I thought of the suffering my Vee had to face from the fire explosion. Her body was never found, so there was a chance that she survived.

Well, either that, or she suffered the most of it, meaning she was burned to a crisp. I chose to believe the first, and I'd held on to that belief for thirteen years now.

"Don't stop her, I cautioned myself inwardly. Don't you dare!!"

Yet even as I screamed internally at myself, I found myself doing the exact thing I warned myself against.

"Contact Henry," I ordered. "Tell him I said the punishment is enough and he should send her back to her room. Also inform Margaret to send some female clothes in size 8 to the room. Tell them to make some porridge for her to eat, and call the doctor."

"Y… yes, boss," he stuttered. I bet he was as surprised as I was.

"Fool," I cursed myself inwardly. "Are you being soft to another woman? What would Vee say if she found out you had another woman?"

I didn't answer the taunting voice in my head; I just left the guard room and headed to her room.

I stood behind the door, waiting, and barely two minutes later, the door was gently pushed open, revealing the same girl. Her face was covered in sweat and her hair stuck to her skin. Her knees were red and sore and she panted.

"You didn't have to die, Mum," she whispered sadly. She fell to the floor, head over the bed, not even noticing me. "You shouldn't have left me alone. Why didn't I die with you and Dad? Why? This world is too unkind to me."

And as she sobbed, I felt my heart breaking all over again. Is she pretending? Maybe she knows I'm here after all and is putting on an act before me.

"You're such a good actress," I murmured as I pushed the door gently, causing her to jolt in fright. "Wow! Very dramatic."

She glared at me for a second, then her gaze went to the floor. Her hair fell over her sweaty face, and her cheeks were wet with tears or sweat, I didn't know.

"What is your name?" I demanded, still leaning on the wall.

"Evita," she mumbled.

I scowled slightly. Evita? The Fulhams' daughter's name is Camille. Something fishy is going on. But before I could further question her, Margaret stood by the slightly open door, knocking softly. She stretched the clothes out, and I took them from her.

"Where's the food?" I asked.

"Sir, it's still in preparation, but it's almost ready," she replied respectfully.

I gave a single nod; she curtsied and left. "Here, there's a bathroom to your left. Get a shower and wear something nicer. When you're done, your food will be brought to you, and after that you can rest. We will discuss later tonight when I return."

Seeing as she didn't move, I dropped the clothes on the bed, patted her head gently, and left the room. As I closed the door softly, I could still hear that same taunting voice in my head, berating me for being fooled by her.

I returned to my bedroom, changed into something more professional, and left. Henry was standing at the entrance and met me there. "Henry, send someone to stake out the Fulhams' apartment today. There's something fishy going on, and I want to be certain that the girl we have is the one we want before I make her pay for the debt."

"Yes, boss," he saluted. The driver had already brought my ride to the entrance, and I got in.

"Office, boss?" he asked.

"Mmhmm," I hummed in response, and he drove off. Turning my head slightly, I noticed her standing by the window with the curtains slightly apart, and I smiled.

---

Barely two hours after getting to the company, I got a call from Henry.

"Yes?" I answered.

He sighed deeply. "Boss, you won't believe. I sent Gary to the house like you instructed. Turns out, the Fulhams deceived us; they sent someone else in place of their daughter."

"So who do we have? And where is their daughter now?" I asked.

"I asked someone to look into it, and the girl we have is Evita, no last name known. She was said to have been in an accident that left her in a coma. She allegedly lost both her parents in the same accident and has since been living with her aunt, Kate Fulham. Kate and Derek practically turned her into their slave, forcing her to do every dirty job for them. They starve her, beat her, and even lock her up sometimes."

"This information is too detailed, where did you get it?" I asked.

He stuttered for a few seconds before finally answering. "We happened to stumble into a Patricia, who happens to be her coworker and schoolmate. They're basically best friends. Apparently, everyone at school also knew this because Evie — as she's fondly called — always showed up with different injuries every week."

I could feel my blood starting to boil. The intense pain I had felt earlier was because I was just being a devil to her like everyone else she'd known. “And where is this Camille Fulham now?”

"She's gone back to her college state, sir. She's yet to fully graduate."

"Good job, Henry. Maybe you'll live longer for your little girl," I teased, then dropped the call. Picking up my telephone, I dialled my assistant. "My office, now."

The man quickly rushed in. "Sir?"

"I need you to draft a contract for me," I said.

He took out his pen and began to write. "Yes, sir, what is it about?"

"I need a marriage contract," I said. "The kind that will offer my wife everything she wants, and in return she'll do everything I say. A contract for just a year. Make sure it's ready before the close of the day."

His expression was one of confusion, but he knew better than to disobey, so he only bowed lightly and left my office.

Fulhams, you dare deceive me? Now I will show you why I'm called Gammon Blackwell.